The Mets kicked off the Subway Series with a tough 6-4 loss to the Yankees on Friday night, a game that quickly spiraled thanks to a truly brutal outing from Nolan McLean. What was supposed to be a big moment for the right-hander turned into a full-blown “clunker,” his first in a long time.
McLean Gets absolutely Rocked in Subway Series Debut
Man, what an opener for McLean, and not in a good way. Pitching in his Subway Series debut at Yankee Stadium, he gave up a whopping five earned runs on a career-high ten hits across just five innings. Talk about getting shelled! The trouble started right away, with McLean loading the bases on two singles and a walk to the first three batters. Spencer Jones drove in the first run with a single, and while McLean managed a double play from George Lombard Jr. to stop the bleeding momentarily, the second inning brought the real pain. After retiring two, Anthony Volpe singled, Ben Rice followed with his second hit, and then Cody Bellinger absolutely demolished a hanging curveball into the right field seats. That was a three-run bomb, McLean’s first career home run allowed on a curveball. Just brutal to watch. Rice then added a leadoff solo shot in the fifth, barely clearing Juan Soto’s glove, and McLean finished his night after 101 pitches, with his ERA jumping from 3.06 to 3.24. This was the first time in his last five starts he allowed more than two earned runs or failed to pitch at least six innings. Ouch.
Mets Squander Opportunities While Rodon Deals
While McLean was struggling, Carlos Rodon was dealing on the other side, holding the Mets to two runs (only one earned) over a season-high 6.1 innings. He gave up just three hits and struck out eight, continuing what’s been a strong season for him when healthy. The Mets had their chances though, big time! In the seventh, they had a run scored and bases loaded against former Met Paul Blackburn, with Francisco Lindor stepping up. The Yankees brought in Brent Headrick, who ran the count full against Lindor before snagging a liner right back to him to end the threat. Then in the eighth, they loaded the bases again with only one out, only to settle for just one run on a Marcus Semien sacrifice fly before closer David Bednar shut them down with a flyout. The Yankees then got that run right back in the bottom of the eighth against Jack Weisenburger, who deserves a shoutout for going three innings in relief of McLean and saving the bullpen. The Yanks finished with 13 hits, with Ben Rice and Luis Garcia Jr. each grabbing three, and Bellinger and Jones adding two apiece. A.J. Ewing did lead off the top of the ninth with a homerun to try and spark something, but that’s where the source leaves us.
This opener stings, especially after McLean’s rough night. The Mets have got to figure out how to capitalize on those prime scoring chances. They’ll need to regroup fast with the next game of the Subway Series on deck. Every game in this series is huge, so they’ve got to come out swinging and lock down the pitching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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